Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2021)
INSID E The Nugget T IDE U G ALL U T F ULL O P V E A S & PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon Vol. XLIV No. 32 www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, August 11, 2021 Air support helps battle lightning fires Cooler weather on Sunday assisted firefighting crews in gaining increased contain- ment on Sisters Country fires that were sparked by lightning in a storm that moved across the region last Thursday, August 5. The Bean Creek Fire and Monty Fire started about a mile apart east of the Monty Campground near Lake Billy Chinook. Air resources were a sig- nificant help in keeping the fires from getting big. Central Oregon Helitack deployed three trucks and a helicopter within hours after lightning ignited the fires. The BLM team based in Prineville included firefight- ers from Montana. They sta- tioned themselves and exten- sive gear at Sisters Eagle Airport. Gusty winds challenged crews on the Bean Creek Fire on Friday afternoon, but after multiple large air tankers dropped retardant, crews on the ground were assisted by helicopters dropping water to cool hot spots, and dozers constructed preliminary con- tainment lines. A local Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS) Type 3 team has now taken command of the P OSTAL CUSTOMER McDonald’s did not turn away firefighters By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT Helicopters operating out of Sisters Eagle Airport have helped ground crews battle two small blazes that erupted from lightning strikes on August 5. fire. Additional resources arrived on the two fires on Sunday to add capacity to containment efforts. Crews mopped up heat around the perimeter to continue secur- ing containment lines. As of Sunday night, the Bean Creek Fire remained at 138 acres and the Monty Fire remains at 23 acres. A Level 1 evacua- tion notice (Get Ready) issued by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for houses on Montgomery Shores on the Metolius Arm was lifted late Monday afternoon. Monty Campground on the Sisters Ranger District remains closed. Temperatures are expected to soar into the high 90s and may crack 100 degrees this week, which makes fire con- ditions more dangerous and firefighting more arduous. Fire officials emphasized that the important thing mem- bers of the public can do to help firefighters is to help prevent human-caused fires. With an increasing number of acres on fire in the Pacific Northwest, fire and aviation resources are stretched thin. The public is reminded that the region remains in extreme fire danger and public use restrictions are in place on all federally man- aged public lands. Sisters McDonald’s has taken a severe beating in the news and on social media for the past month — for some- thing that did not happen. A viral Facebook post, amplified by a story run on KTVZ-21, led people across the nation to believe that the local McDonald’s had refused service on July 13 to firefighters battling the Grandview Fire, who were then treated to a steak din- ner at another Sisters res- taurant. But a timeline and evidence from security cam- eras, confirmed by Oregon Department of Forestry offi- cials, demonstrates that, as owner Scott Acarregui asserts, “McDonald’s did not at any point refuse service to ANY firefighters.” He told The Nugget, “We refused service to the general See MCDONALD’S on page 23 Tensions over masking Will the well run dry in Sisters? at school board meeting Well drillers are busy — but mostly By Bill Bartlett Correspondent By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent The boardroom at the Sisters School District office was packed with over 30 citi- zens for the monthly meeting held Wednesday, August 4. Most were there to express their opposition of the recent mask mandate for K-12 students handed down by Governor Kate Brown two days earlier. Twelve of those in atten- dance spoke during the com- munity comment portion of the meeting, addressing concerns about masks along with the issues of critical race theory, bullying, and Black Lives Matter (BLM). Board members in atten- dance included Jeff Smith, Inside... Edie Jones, Don Hedrick, and David Thorsett. Jenica Cogdill was absent. After a robust recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, Board Chair Don Hedrick opened the meeting for com- munity comments, which filled the first half of the hour-long meeting. Most of the comments centered on Brown’s announcement that took place a few days earlier. In a statement Thursday, July 29, Brown said, “The science and data are clear: the Delta variant is in our communities, and it is more contagious. My priority is to ensure our kids are able to safely return to full-time, in-person learning this fall, See MEETING on page 12 Some property own- ers have reported that their water wells had run dry. Fortunately, those cases are sparse. The larger issue remains water curtailment for farmers, especially hay producers, who are facing uncertainty that they will have enough water for a sec- ond cutting. The second cutting is the difference between profit and loss. Worries are mount- ing particularly in the north county. Canvasing four well drill- ers and pump service outfits leads to the conclusion that the vast bulk of their calls remain repair or replacement of pumps — typical jobs for this time of the year. There are few calls to deepen wells. with new wells and routine repair and replacement. So far, Sisters Country has not seen the severe drop in well water experienced in other parts of Oregon. PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT New wells, however, are in high demand commensu- rate with countywide popula- tion growth and property sub- dividing. When 40 acres are developed as eight five-acre tracts, that’s seven new wells. The backlog is generally four See WELLS on page 14 Letters/Weather ............... 2 In the Pines....................... 4 Announcements ...............10 Sisters Salutes ................ 11 Classifieds .................. 18-19 Meetings .......................... 3 Obituaries ..................... 6-7 Entertainment ................. 11 Crossword ....................... 17 Real Estate ................ 20-24